Starlight
by Marethiel
Summary: Legolas and Tauriel set out to the south of Middle-Earth, to explore and report back anything amiss. And trouble they do find, from orcs to pirates, to a near-death experience with Legolas. I own nothing! Please review
1. Chapter 1

A blonde haired elf, slight in figure with a bow and arrows strapped to his back, pushed a canoe-like boat back into the river Anduin. The Falls of Rauros roared behind him, as if frustrated that someone had managed to safely get past them. Legolas shrugged his shoulders as he stared at the falls and held a line to keep the boat from drifting. He'd simply carried the boat through the woods past the falls. No easy feat, but neither a foolhardy one, as the woods were relatively safe in these times. Legolas smiled slightly and looked towards his friend, who was kneeling at the river, filling their water skins. Tauriel was a shorter, redheaded elf, and she'd walked ahead of Legolas during their trek through the woods. Much light laughter had been heard, as Legolas had been forced to let the boat cover his head and block his view of where he was walking as he'd held it on his shoulders. This led to an amusing sight for Tauriel as she'd guided Legolas down the hill.

Tauriel stood, picked up the two bags of their provisions, and stepped into the boat. She sat and picked up an oar as Legolas shoved the boat into the water.

"No need, _mellon_," said Legolas after he'd jumped into the boat, "There is wind enough for the sail." Tauriel smiled and shrugged, setting down the oar and helping her friend rig the mast and sail. Soon they were sailing down the river, the wind blowing their hair in their faces as they watched the land go by. They'd seen these lands before, plenty of times. But elves live for thousands of years. If they do not pay attention and explore the world around them more than once, the world could change without their notice. Already bad things were happening—a dragon had taken over Erebor a decade ago. Legolas and Tauriel—and the rest of the Woodland Realm—wanted not just to hear what was going on, but to see it. So the two elves volunteered to explore south of their borders, and report if anything was about to threaten their homeland.

* * *

The elves traveled down the river for many days, passing through the Dead Marshes and encountering almost no trouble at all. They made it all the way south past Osgiliath and Minas Tirith to Pelargir. Here the water started to flow swifter and the river widened, as the sea lay not far beyond. Tauriel consulted a map as gray clouds began to darken the bright afternoon.

"We might turn back now, Legolas. The current will soon get too strong for us to row back." she said.

"I was thinking of a bigger adventure," said Legolas, adjusting the sail to pick up more wind. Tauriel glanced up at him as the boat picked up even more speed. "We can stay close to the coast, north of the island of Tolfolas, and travel up the Gwathlo River, then march home from there."

"And risk the Corsairs of Umbar?" asked Tauriel skeptically. She folded up the map and tucked it in her pocket.

"The pirates have not bothered us so far, and we are nearing the end of their hunting grounds." said Legolas. He spoke with the authority of a prince, yet his eyes spoke simply of one friend hoping for the other friend's agreement. Tauriel smiled; truth be told she nearly never turned down an adventure, despite the risks involved.

"Then south we shall go." she said. But even as the agreement was made and the spirit of adventure burned brightly in the elves, a dark ship with black sails suddenly slipped out of an inlet and came sailing at full speed towards the elves. Tauriel's eyes widened and she yelled "Get us to the shore!" There was no way their boat could outrun the pirate ship, and any hope of them not being seen was swept off with the sounds of shouts coming from the ship. Legolas looked behind him as he hauled on the rudder; Tauriel quickly rearranged the sails.

"Out of their hunting grounds, you say?" she asked in a teasing voice. Despite the current danger, the elves were confident they could escape easily.

"A bit of an oversight, I suppose." said Legolas, watching the ship come quickly towards them. An arrow suddenly stuck into the mast, just barely brushing Tauriel's shoulder. Another one hit the deck by Legolas' foot. Both elves were standing now, aiming their bows at the archers on the deck of the pirate ship.

"I bet I'll hit one before you." said Tauriel. Raindrops began to sprinkle ever so slightly as the sky was completely covered in dark clouds.

"Mind you, we simply want to take them out of the fight, not kill them. We must show them how tough two elves in a sailboat really are." said Legolas with a grin as he steered the boat with his foot. Tauriel laughed as she nodded her agreement. Both elves drew back their arrows for another shot, then suddenly froze.

They both looked at the arrows stuck in the boat by Legolas' foot.

Something clicked in their minds at the same time: Orc arrows had hit their boat.

Their eyes met for a millisecond as they recognized the shouts they'd been hearing from the pirate ship.

Orcs were on the pirate ship.

All traces of fun vanished as the elves tried to steer their boat and shoot the orcs at the same time. The wind changed as the storm began to waken, and Tauriel worked on resetting the sail between firing at the orcs. They were about fifty yards from the shore, but still, the ship had quickly gotten a few feet away from the elvish boat, with black arrows flying everywhere. One grazed the back of Tauriel's hand, and she cried out, more in surprise than in pain, as she dropped her bow. She swiftly knelt to pick it up, her hand throbbing. At that moment the disjointed growls and shouting of the orcs turned into one raucous and victorious cry. Tauriel looked up to see something that, on an ordinary day, would make her laugh, but at the moment sent her face to paling and her heart to freezing.

A hook, attached to a rope, which was attached to a pole that stuck out over the water and above the elves' heads, had been dangling free. If the setup was used for fishing, it had caught its finest catch: the hook had tangled in Legolas' quiver and the elf was flying through the air, still firing arrows as if this were just another means of fighting. Tauriel screamed his name as he was pulled by the orcs towards the ship. The little elvish boat was now being outrun by the pirate ship, and Tauriel frantically tried to get the little boat to follow faster, but was impeded by needing to shoot at the orc archers that were still firing at her. The rain fell faster, soaking through her hair and dripping onto her shoulders as she hurried to help her friend.

Legolas felt the hook jerk him into the air, but he did not let that impede his judgment. If he cut the rope while he was flying through the air, he'd just land in the water and be an easy target for the orcs. As he swung towards the ship he threw two daggers into the side. He then reached up with a third dagger, cut the rope, and dropped onto the two daggers he'd stuck into the side of the ship, balancing about a foot from the water. The orcs noticed this and ran to where he was, ready to fire their arrows down the side of the ship. Legolas looked behind him, but his boat was too far away for him to jump to, despite Tauriel's frantic efforts. So, he drew a fourth dagger and stuck it and his third dagger into the side of this ship above his head. Legolas climbed up the side of the boat, leaving his knives stuck into the side of the ship for him to stand on as he hauled himself up with his fifth and sixth daggers.

Jumping the few feet off the last two knives and over the railing onto the deck of the ship, Legolas gave the orcs a great surprise. The elf was already firing arrows when he landed, and he ran at the orcs, aiming for the stern seventy five feet away. They charged the elf, growling and snarling and wielding oddly-shaped swords and other weapons they had found on the ship. Soon, however, the orcs had surrounded Legolas, and they were so close he was unable to waste time reaching back for an arrow, skilled elven archer though he was. Legolas gripped his bow with both hands and slammed it into the faces of two orcs directly in front of him. They yelped as they were driven backwards into their fellow warriors, giving the elf a couple steps forward.

Legolas heard a blade whistling behind him, and he threw himself forward and left, jabbing an orc in the gut with his bow and dodging a sword that sliced down through the air to his right. But an orc behind him managed to slam its shoulder into Legolas' spine, and the elf was pushed forward, almost into the blade of an orc in from of him. Legolas twisted to the right again, facing the orc that had pushed him forward. The blade that had been aimed at his heart followed him and sliced his arm as he kicked the orc in the chest. Legolas' eyes widened with pain and he punched the sword-wielding orc in the face. The orc went down, and Legolas was able to move a couple more steps forward.

Legolas caught a glimpse of the elvish boat; it was being left behind as the wind and current carried the pirate ship down the river. The elf frantically tried to push his way through the crowd of orcs, grabbing some by the face and shoving them overboard as he moved forward near the railing. Legolas was grabbed from behind, and he jerked his head backwards, slamming his skull into an orc's nose. The orc was wearing a helmet, and the elf's blonde hair was stained red as the edge of the helmet cut his head. Legolas blinked as the orc let go of him; the elf staggered forward back into the fight. There were over a hundred orcs on the ship. They seemed to guess what Legolas had in mind as the elf slowly moved forward to the stern, his skill as a warrior limiting his injuries to various cuts and smacks.

The elvish boat's sail was straining now, the current was carrying the boat quickly towards the ship, and Tauriel stood with bow at the ready, waiting for Legolas to appear on the stern. She could hear the sounds of a battle, orcs crying out as they were killed by the elf warrior, but she could see nothing—except for the occasional orc falling over the side of the boat. She stood on the seat, hoping she'd be able to see a little better, and suddenly a blonde head popped up over the stern. Legolas hauled himself up over the edge, and started to run towards the railing.

He only made it a step before clammy hands grabbed his ankles and caused him to land hard on his stomach on the stern, half dangling ten feet over the main deck. In the distance he heard Tauriel yelling his name, and elvish arrows struck the orcs that were climbing up onto the stern. Legolas was pulled all the way off the stern; he dangled by his hands for a few seconds, trying to kick off the orcs. But an orc stepped on his fingers before it was shot down by Tauriel, and he dropped to the deck, nearly getting stabbed when he landed. Legolas dodged the sword, and the orc ended up stabbing another orc. A stack of barrels was on Legolas' left under the stern, but two orcs were in his way. Legolas knocked their heads together and jumped on one of the barrels. He climbed up and jumped behind the stack and ran a few steps to where the barrels were stacked five high. The barrels were stacked around a door into the stern, possibly to be dragged inside the galley. Legolas jumped, braced his back against the wall, and pushed his feet against the top barrels. They clattered to the ground: empty. The orcs were forced to dodge the barrels, and before they could fire at the now-exposed elf, Legolas had dropped back behind the stack. He repeated the process, this time finding that the barrels he was trying to kick over were much heavier.

Orcs that had tried to follow Legolas behind the stack of barrels, yet were impeded by heavy barrels stacked two high. Rather than knock them over, the orcs aimed their arrows between the barrels at the elf. Legolas looked to his left and saw the archers as he pushed the barrels over; fish spilled all over the deck causing the other orcs to slip. The elf reached up, caught a rope hanging over the edge of the stern and hauled himself up to the deck just as the arrows were fired. Legolas rolled to his feet and ran to the railing. The orcs were climbing up to the deck behind him; he had only a few seconds before he'd be swarmed by them again.

But Legolas stopped, his heart sinking. The ship was larger than the elvish boat, and an undercurrent deeper than Tauriel's boat had carried the ship too far away for Legolas to jump over and swim without being shot by the orcs. In fact, arrows hit the deck near Legolas' feet as the orcs tried to take him out while they shoved each other on their way up to the deck. The elf could see Tauriel firing arrows at the orcs already on the deck, but her arrows only hit the edge of the ship.

Legolas' and Tauriel's eyes met, hers filled with despair, his filled with a resignation to his fate and forgiveness for her. She'd done her best.

Tauriel could only stare at Legolas as he turned away from her, knowing he would not go down without a fight. She growled in frustration through her teeth as she looked for ways to make the boat go faster. Despite the fact that the ship would easily outrun her, she would not abandon her friend.

Legolas stared down the orcs with an icy blaze in his blue eyes as he drew his short sword. Why did it have to end this way? He'd only been sailing with his friend, for the good of his kingdom, yet here he was about to be slaughtered by orcs. Legolas would never see his friend again, never again feel the warm sun on his head, never again smell the pine and oak of Mirkwood. He would die staring at an orc, rain and blood both chilling and warming his head, the stench of orc sweat in his nose.

"_Caela ie'lle!_" Legolas' battle cry was almost a scream, his voice rasping as his emotions were torn out of him, sending all his fear, sadness and anger at his situation into the air. He was an elvish warrior, and he would not face death with anything but courage.

Legolas charged the orcs before they could fire their arrows. He slammed into four that were in a line on the deck, stabbing the first one and sending them all together over the edge. The elf withdrew his sword and managed to land on his feet fifteen feet below the stern, standing on the orcs he'd just knocked over. Legolas reached for an arrow, to have a weapon of some kind in both hands, but his bow and quiver had been cut off his back as he'd thrown himself off the stern. Legolas slammed his raised fist into an orc's face in frustration.

Orc after orc was taken down with the small silver blade, the rain pouring down like a river flowing from the sky. Still, the elf was no match for the orcs, who quickly replaced their dead warriors, giving Legolas no time to catch his breath. Legolas was pushed from behind again, and as he stumbled forward the orcs quickly got out of his way. The elf, during the fighting, had slowly made his way towards the hold, and was now a few inches away from falling into a fifty foot chasm. Legolas caught himself on another orc and shoved it into the hold instead. He turned and quickly stepped to his right as an orc tried to bury a dagger in him. The orc slipped in trying to catch Legolas, and the dagger ended up in the elf's thigh. Legolas yelled in pain and stabbed the orc with his sword, then yanked the dagger out of his leg. The elf hurled the dagger at an orc that was charging him, probably trying to push Legolas into the hold. Legolas had been smacked on the head several times during the fight. His vision was going dark at the edges, and he was not thinking clearly. He immediately realized his mistake; though he'd killed the orc, he'd thrown away a perfectly good weapon as the orc's momentum had carried it into the hold. The elf clenched his teeth as his leg throbbed, forced to work harder to keep from falling as he stabbed another orc in the chest.

The fight seemed to last forever, with the elf dodging blows that would kill him, but not entirely escaping injury. His footing was getting shakier and he was unable to avoid injuries that he'd easily been able to dodge or deflect earlier—a fist to the face, or a sword to the shoulder, and so on. This only made him an easier target; the elf was stuck in a deadly spiral.

Still, there seemed to be noticeably fewer orcs than when Legolas had first jumped onto the boat. Legolas knew better than to hope at this point—if his mistake with the dagger was any indicator, he was probably just delusional. Legolas brought a knee into the crotch of an orc he was unable to stab, then elbowed one that was trying to grab him from behind in the gut. He quickly decapitated them both before they could recover. The elf braced himself for the next attack, his head spinning as he caught his breath. But there was no attack, and the elf was finally able to pause for more than a second. Legolas blinked the rain out of his eyes.

He could only see five orcs remaining.

Delusion or not, Legolas let himself hope for a little bit. Perhaps he would not die today. He felt a surge of adrenaline, and he charged the orcs. For the first time in a while he was the one attacking, not defending.

Legolas parried the first orc's sword strike and stabbed the ugly brute before it could strike again. He felt, more than heard, another orc's snarl, the creature's hot breath on the back of his neck. Legolas dropped to a crouch before the orc could strangle him. He twisted and stabbed upwards as the orc threw itself on the elf. Legolas shoved the body off of him and got to his feet, in time to dodge a dagger hurled at his chest. This time he let the orcs charge him. The adrenaline boost was wearing off, and it was almost everything Legolas could do to just stay standing. Three orcs stood watching him. One of them was wearing armor—their leader apparently. Legolas swallowed. It was apparently orc fashion to save the strongest warrior for last.

The leader spoke something in the Black Speech, and two of the orcs ran towards Legolas, growling and snarling at Legolas with their swords raised. Legolas grimaced and raised his sword to block their attacks. He parried one sword, only to find the other whistling towards his neck. The elf arched his back and watched the sword pass just a hair above his face. Legolas straightened and ran his sword through the orc.

A sudden blow to Legolas' right shoulder sent him staggering across the deck, nearly falling as he was forced to catch himself with his injured left leg. He turned to see the orc swinging its sword down towards Legolas. The elf threw himself out of the way, the sword just catching the edge of his right forearm. Legolas quickly shoved the orc with his left arm, forcing it to face away from the elf. The orc tried to turn back towards the elf; it could not run away, the hold was only a few feet in front of it. But, with nearly all the strength he had left, Legolas shoved the orc again, this time also stabbing it in the back. Blood mixed with rain on the deck, causing the elf to slip as he yanked his sword out of the orc's body. He tried to keep his balance, but his left leg finally gave out. Legolas dropped to his knees, bracing himself with one hand on the deck, the other clutching his sword as he gasped for air, grimacing with eyes half closed.

The orc leader stepped towards Legolas, but the elf did not move. It drew its sword, and still Legolas stared at the deck, the boards swimming before him as his injuries caught up to him. He could hear the orc stepping closer, and he knew it was the last one, yet he could not get up and fight it. Panic caused him to choke as the orc knelt next to him, far enough away to avoid the elf's blade, but close enough to snarl in Legolas' ear.

"Your weakness will cost you, little elf. For I shall kill you, then the fiery she-elf that follows us." The orc spat, and Legolas felt hot saliva hit his neck. The orc stood and stepped closer, raising its sword to finish off the elf. Soon it would all be over, and Legolas would no longer have to fight.

Legolas took a deep breath, steeling himself.

The blade fell towards the elf's neck.

A small silver blade blocked the blow.

Legolas was half-crouching, his left knee on the deck and his right leg bent so his foot was on the deck. He pushed back on the orc's sword, his eyes narrowed and his teeth clenched. With every bit of strength he had left, Legolas pushed the orc's sword out of the way. The elf got to his feet, his entire body in pain, and threw himself at the orc with a desperate shout. He did not care if he made it off the ship—he'd resigned himself to this fate after he'd waved his farewell to Tauriel—but he would kill every orc on board; his friend would not die today along with him.

The orc had recovered from Legolas' parry and was swinging its sword at Legolas' neck. The elf was running right into the blade—

—he ducked at the last second and drove his sword through the orc's chest, just above its armor. The orc snarled, and Legolas shoved it backwards, his silver sword leaving the body as the orc fell along with its fellow warriors into the hold.

Legolas started to turn away from the hold, but collapsed, his breath whooshing out of him as he landed on his stomach dangerously close to the hold. The elf could not move, no matter how hard he tried; Legolas was paralyzed with exhaustion. His back and shoulders throbbed, his forearm burned and he could no longer feel his left leg. His head pounded as blood, sweat and rain ran down his face, burning his eyes. With one hand still holding his weapon and his cheek resting against the boards of the deck, Legolas finally relaxed. He'd killed all the orcs. It was over.

An elvish sword clattered into the hold after slipping from its unconscious owners' fingertips as the pirate ship sailed quickly down the river to the sea.

* * *

_**Mellon: friend**_

_**Caela ie'lle: have at thee**_


	2. Chapter 2

The wind, rain, and never-ending waves in the river all seemed to be focused on one goal: sink the elvish boat or drive it to the shore. Tauriel had reefed the sails, but still the wind was able to catch the sides of the boat and rock it as the waves threw it down the river. Rain had completely drenched her and impeded her vision. Yet she still sat in the stern, both hands on the rudder, steering the boat as it was hurled up and down, and side to side, in the river.

The river had widened even further as Tauriel traveled down it, allowing the waves to get ever stronger. One wave tossed the boat high, high enough to land in a tree if it'd been near land. Tauriel let go of the rudder with one hand and gripped the side of the boat. A second wave and a gust of wind struck the left side of the boat, causing it to tilt to the right. Tauriel suddenly was staring at the water as the boat fell quickly towards the river. She was thrown towards the right side of the boat as it struck the river, the roiling water inches from her face. Water rushed into the boat, keeping it from tilting back to normal. Tauriel jumped onto the edge of the boat, balancing on the left side. The boat slowly began to tilt back to the left, water sloshing into the middle of the hull. But suddenly a wave struck the right side of the boat, and Tauriel felt the river splash her boots as it tilted to the left. The boat was thrown upwards again by a wave, and Tauriel threw herself into the boat, landing on her stomach on the seat. She rolled off the seat onto her back in the six inches of water at the bottom of the boat, bracing her feet against the hull so as not to be thrown out when it landed.

But the boat had righted by her desperate maneuver, and Tauriel found herself staring, not at the river rushing to sink the boat, but at the sky and the boom. She wiped the rain off her face with her sleeve and stood. She strained her eyes ahead, hoping to see the pirate ship—maybe it'd been run aground nearby—but all she saw was a river that got more dangerous as it got closer to the ocean. In a few more minutes the elvish boat would not be able to stay afloat.

Tauriel clenched her fists and glared out at the water for a few more minutes. She knew that Legolas was most likely dead—from the moment he'd waved farewell and charged the orcs, she knew. The ship was likely out at sea, still commandeered by orcs. If Tauriel could even find the ship, she would be lucky to even find Legolas' body, before she was killed herself. Her friend was gone.

Tauriel wiped her face with her sleeve again, this time clearing away tears as well as the rain. She had never been so certain of her friend's demise, but she did not intend to give up her search. She would either rescue her friend from death, or accept the evidence of a cold and stiff body.

"_Amin khiluva lle a' gurtha ar' tha, Legolas." _ Tauriel spoke these words with a last glance out at the river, just before the boat hit the shore.

* * *

The next day dawned bright and hot, but Tauriel did not start at the rise of the sun. She'd been sailing since the storm broke—some few hours past midnight—and was now letting the current carry her through the islands at the mouth of the Anduin river. The sunlight bounced off the water and made her squint as she searched for the pirate ship. She hoped Legolas' attack had confused the orcs long enough for them to neglect sailing the ship properly and make finding it easier.

Tauriel was now sailing between a huge island and the eastern shore of the mainland. In about an hour, the swift current would carry her into the Bay of Belfalas. If the orcs had made it into the bay before her, the current and wind was strong enough to carry them far away, making her search impossible.

But when Tauriel rounded a small peninsula, where another river ended, she saw a ship with black sails stuck into the sand across the mouth of the river. The smell of dead bodies wafted towards her as she sailed closer. Despite the foreboding sight and smell, Tauriel felt both relieved and encouraged. No orcs had appeared over the railing to fight her off. It was an unlikely probability, but maybe…

No, Tauriel would not listen to her mind throw up foolish hopes. Legolas could not have survived. But she would not leave without making sure.

The boat hit the shore and Tauriel hopped out. But just as she began to pull it further onto the shore, another ship identical to the one she'd been tracking suddenly appeared around the edge of the island about a quarter mile away. Tauriel muttered several insults at pirates, orcs, and their ability to now twice sneak up on her. She shoved the boat back in the water, just far enough for it to float freely. Splashing through the water next to it, she pushed it up the river a little ways to where it would be hidden by some underbrush. She grabbed a rope out of a pack and ran back to the grounded ship, tying a dagger to the rope as she ran. The other ship was getting closer, and she heard shouts coming from it. But they were shouts of men, and as far as Tauriel could tell they had only noticed their disheveled ship, and not the elf about to board it.

Tauriel was about to hurl the makeshift grappling hook over the railing when she noticed several daggers stuck into the side of the ship. Legolas' daggers, of course; she'd seen him make that ladder the day before. Tauriel wrapped the rope up, slung it over her shoulder and re-sheathed her dagger, not bothering to untie it. She jumped about ten feet up and caught the first dagger, then pulled herself up so she was standing on it. While Legolas had been able to reach high enough to place the next daggers, Tauriel was forced to jump up to grab each "rung" of the ladder before she could pull herself to stand on it. She did this quickly; the other ship was two hundred yards away now, and a dinghy had been splashed into the water.

She jumped up to the railing, but instead of pulling herself over, she peeked just over the edge of the deck under the railing, her toes just barely touching the daggers below her. The sun had been beating down on the ship for hours, and the stench of nearly a hundred dead orcs was so strong her eyes watered and she nearly gagged. She could not see Legolas, but to her dismay she saw his bow and quiver lying on the deck below the stern, elvish arrows scattered. He'd used most of his weapons to make the ladder, and now, as far as Tauriel could tell, he'd been left with only his sword to fend off the orcs. Tauriel sighed; her suspicions were slowly being confirmed. But she needed to see a body… or what was left of one.

To Tauriel's fright, the sound of oars splashing had ceased. The pirates had cast a rope up over the opposite railing, and were loudly and angrily discussing their landlocked ship. The dagger Tauriel was standing on suddenly snapped out of the boards, and she caught herself just before she fell to the sand. She pulled herself to the deck just as a pirate reached the top of his rope. Tauriel ran behind some barrels near the stern, quickly grabbing Legolas' broken bow and quiver as she did so. She had just dropped to one knee behind the barrel when the pirate cleared the railing. Fortunately he was busy surveying the carnage, and happened to be looking in the wrong direction just a second too long. Tauriel watched them from between two barrels, and searched the mess for Legolas.

"This is wha' happens when ye give a ship t' th' orcs!" a pirate spat as he climbed up the side. "They couldn' navigate a storm t' save their lives!"

"It weren't the storm!" shouted the pirate who had reached the deck first. "Them orcs been killed wi' a blade!" He drew his cutlass, walking to the bow and glaring around the deck as if silently challenging whoever had slaughtered the orcs to step forth and meet him in a duel. The other pirates paused and looked around warily before hurriedly moving to join the first pirate at the bow.

"Does it matter how they been killed?" asked a third. "We'll never be able t' get the smell offa this wreck."

"Aye, well, they paid their dues, an' this weren't our best ship." said a fourth. "We sold it, we oughtta be done wi' it."

"But we _were_ expectin' t' get it back, ye dimwit!" the first pirate huffed. "An' not like this!" he added to the other pirate, who seemed ready to point out the obvious.

Tauriel had no desire to let the pirates figure out the truth, at least not while she was on board. Legolas' arrows were not far away, and she silently grabbed them while the pirates' back were turned. Fortunately they had not seen the back of the boat yet, and the arrows stuck into it from yesterday.

As Tauriel snuck out from behind the barrels to get the last few arrows, a hint of gold amongst the carnage near the hold caught her eye. Barrels and boxes hid the hold from the pirates for the moment. Several orc bodies were lying near the hold, but there was one that was definitely _ not_ an orc. But the pirates turned around, and she was forced to hide behind the barrels again. Her heart racing, Tauriel picked up a chunk of dead fish—the head, in fact—and waited for the four pirates to continue their investigation. When they were studying an orc body near the port rail, she hurled the fish at the pirates. It flew over their heads and splashed into the water near the port bow. The pirates all ran to look over, and Tauriel ran to the hold, the broken weapons in her hand.

Legolas lay on his stomach, his head facing the hold, blood staining his clothes, hands, face and hair. Tauriel knelt next to his back, the boxes and barrels now completely hiding her from the pirates. She set Legolas' bow and quiver down, and placed the back of her hand near his nose and two fingers of her other hand on his neck. To her relief, a pulse and breath was felt. But her relief turned immediately to concern: Legolas' skin was far too hot, and his breath and pulse were much too fast. Tauriel gently rolled him over, careful not to make a sound. To her surprise, his brow was furrowed and his skin was as white as a corpse's. Tauriel swallowed. It was obvious: the elf's wounds from the orcs were many, and it'd be a miracle if he'd avoided being poisoned—which he obviously hadn't. He'd been out in the sun for hours; the heat was definitely not helping. Legolas might be alive for now, but Tauriel knew that if she did not act quickly, her friend would be gone before nightfall.

The pirates had turned away from the bow and were walking towards the back of the boat. For the moment, the barrels were blocking their view. But a few steps closer and they'd be able to casually glance over and see Tauriel. She quickly grabbed a dirty piece of canvas and drew it over Legolas and his broken weapons. Tauriel then lowered herself into the hold, dangling above the dark chasm with her fingertips covered by the canvas. Here the smell of orc was not as strong, and Tauriel suddenly worried that live orcs were below her and would see her. She looked down and saw something silver lying on top of several orc bodies: Legolas' sword. Tauriel frowned, debating whether she should let herself fall so she could grab it, or just hope the pirates didn't see it until they were off the ship.

"What does it mean? Dead fish suddenly splashin' into th' sea?" asked one of the pirates.

"It means somebody is still alive on this ship and throwin' fish at us, you idiot." said another. Evidently they'd seen the pile of fish near the stern. Tauriel could hear them walking about five feet away from the hold. Tauriel braced herself, hoping she would not have to let go, but preparing for it nevertheless. The pirates were now only a yard away from Legolas; they'd rounded the hold and were walking towards the starboard railing. One stepped away from the group, even closer to the hold. He was only a few paces away from where Legolas was lying under the sail. Taurel could see his boots, and that was close enough. The elf dropped into the hold.

She did not land as silently as she would have liked. Tauriel had landed on a dead orc, and its helmet bumped onto the floor of the hold. The elf ran out of the light, grabbing Legolas' sword, just as the pirate knelt and looked over the edge.

"'Ey!" he shouted into the hold. Another pirate quickly stepped over and dropped to one knee next to his friend. He looked down into the dark hole; not seeing anything he smacked his friend on the head.

"Shut up!" he hissed. "Ye want 'em t' come outta wherever they're hidin' and kill the lot of us?"

"If they'd wanted t' do that, they'd o' done it already." replied the pirate who'd shouted, rubbing the back of his head. "I heard somethin' down thar."

"Th' ship makes noise. They all do. Ye shoulda gotten used t' that by now." replied the other. "They done made a mess of this here sail." he continued absent mindedly. Tauriel immediately notched an arrow to her bow, ready to fire up at the pirates should they discover her friend. She could see it happening: the pirate would put his hand on the sail, start to move it, then suddenly find an arrow in his neck. His friend would shout, but be killed a second later. The other two would run over, and meet their doom. But their shouts would alert the pirates most likely still in the dinghy, keeping it from drifting, and they'd climb up the rope. Tauriel would climb out of the hold—somehow—to find herself staring at the arrows of several other pirates. She would feel the arrows hit her before she could shoot them all, she would fall backwards, her last thought being of her friend…

"Get yer sorry carcasses over here!" called one of the pirates. Two of the pirates had paid no heed to the random bump in the boat, and were now near the stern. Tauriel could hear them opening the door to the rooms under the stern. The two pirates got to their feet, with one last look at the hold and the sail, and walked over to the stern. Tauriel lowered her bow, her racing heartbeat roaring in her ears.

"Now, lads, whoever threw that fish has got t' be in here. Keep an eye out an' he won't live long enough to throw another. We ain't the likes to be snuck up upon, hear?" said a pirate. The others gave uneasy "ayes," and they all walked into the stern. Tauriel waited until their footsteps were far enough inside the stern that they would not see her, then put the arrow away and slung her bow over her shoulder. She drew the dagger that she'd tied to a rope and hurled it up. It stuck into the ceiling of the hold, near the opening. Tauriel began to climb the rope. While her throw had been strong, her dagger was slowly slipping out of the ceiling. Just as it fell out, she grabbed the edge of the deck and caught the dagger before it fell onto the bodies below her. She climbed out next to her friend, his sword strapped to her back.

The elf quickly pulled the sail off of Legolas, wondering how to quickly get him off of the boat without hurting him. The only way she could think of was to drag him over to the edge, tie a rope under his shoulders, and lower him over the edge. She was also strong enough to carry him away from the ship, but it would be awkward and dangerous. There was no telling when the pirates would come out of the hold, or when more pirates would decided to explore the coast, and she needed her hands free to fight them off. Tauriel sighed and gently brushed dirty blonde hair out of Legolas' face. There was one other option that she could think of, and neither she nor Legolas would like it.

The athelas plant was well known in elvish medicine for its strong, sweet smell and its strength against poisons of nearly all kinds. Some was in a pouch at Tauriel's waist. She had no time, however, to apply the athelas properly to Legolas' wounds. Instead she crushed a small bit of it and held it near his nose. The elven apothecaries would cringe at this clumsy use, but it worked. Legolas' eyes slowly opened. He stared up at Tauriel in a moment of confusion. Then the pain hit him.

Tauriel quickly clamped a hand over his mouth as the elf cried out, the muscles in his arms and legs tightening as he grimaced.

"Shh." she whispered, running her hand gently back over the top of his head, trying to calm him down. His eyes, now wide, met Tauriel's, and she placed a finger over her lips, hoping to convey in a look the danger they were in. Legolas' breath came in gasps, but Tauriel felt him clamp his mouth shut, and she removed her hand.

"Pirates are on the ship near us and on board. They're below decks now, but they will come back up soon. We need to get over that side of the ship." Tauriel whispered, pointing towards the starboard edge of the ship. Legolas, with no small effort, pushed himself up on one elbow and peered between the barrels, looking at the other ship. He nodded. Tauriel paused for a moment; there was something not right. Despite being fully awake, Legolas still appeared confused.

"Come on." whispered Tauriel. She grabbed Legolas' bow and quiver and helped him to his feet. They silently ran to the deck, Legolas doubled over and clenching his teeth. They could hear the pirates below them—the pirates had made it into the hold via the passageways below decks, and were commenting on the mess they'd found.

The elves made it to the railing, and Tauriel untied the rope from her dagger and tied it to a post on the railing. She tossed the rope over the edge and began to climb down, bracing her feet against the side of the ship. Tauriel climbed down just far enough for Legolas to lower himself over and then stopped, watching him in case he should need help.

Legolas' hands shook as he grasped the rope, and he carefully lowered himself over the edge. His shoulder and thigh throbbed as he held the rope and began to climb down. Usually he'd have been able to fly down the rope with confidence and grace, but not today. Today his progress was shaky and hesitant, as he lowered first one arm, then a leg, then paused to gather strength, then lowered himself further. He knew he had to go faster, but part of his mind, in soothing tones, told him it would be just fine for him to slow down, or even stop climbing all together and just drop to the sand. The sand was bound to be warm and soft, and he could just sleep until the pain stopped. Legolas growled; instinct told him to do what the she-elf told him, even if he did not fully know why. Tauriel was just below him, matching his pace, watching him carefully.

In this manner they got nearly all the way down the side of the boat. But with every foot he got closer to the ground, it was becoming harder and harder for Legolas to keep his grip on the rope. Black wisps swam at the edges of his vision, and he paused, his grip on the rope so tight his knuckles were white. He shut his eyes, trying not to fall as his injured shoulder and thigh shook violently.

"Tauriel," he whispered hoarsely, "get out of the way." He heard the she-elf drop to the sand, and he resumed climbing down the rope. But his shoulder and leg gave out, and he dropped to the ground, landing hard on his back. He nearly blacked out with the pain; the one positive thing was that Tauriel had indeed gotten out of the way and he had not fallen on her and hurt her. Above him he heard, as if they were very, very far away, the sounds of pirates shouting. Likely they'd found some evidence of the elves' being there. But the sand was indeed warm and soft, and he'd forgotten entirely the reason for their hurry. And Legolas did not want to move until he remembered. His eyes drifted closed as the breeze cooled his burning face.

Tauriel's arm behind his shoulders, forcing him to sit up and sending sharp pain through his injured arm, brought him back to reality with a hiss of pain.

"Sorry." Tauriel muttered, helping Legolas to his feet. Supporting her friend as well as she could, they ran into the woods just as the pirates identified the type of arrows stuck into the stern of their ship.

* * *

They ran for several minutes, being careful to leave no sign of their path behind them. They made it about a half mile before Legolas dropped to one knee, his left thigh no longer able to support his weight. Tauriel helped him to sit against a tree, and he leaned his head against the trunk, eyes closed and breath coming quickly. Tauriel glanced around them: the trees were thick and undergrowth surrounded them, but where they stood the grass had been flattened. Deer had slept here, more than once. They would be safe.

Tauriel knelt next to Legolas and opened one of their packs. Before they'd ran too far into the woods, she'd run back to the boat and grabbed their supplies. The boat was hidden well, and the pirates' attention had not been directed towards it anyway. Tauriel pulled out several bandages and one of their flasks of water. Legolas did not move, his breath continuing to come only in shallow, irregular gasps.

Most of Legolas' wounds were simple scrapes, easy to clean and likely not the source of the poisoning. But his left thigh and right shoulder had been cut deep, and were still bleeding. After cleaning the wound on Legolas' thigh, Tauriel found no evidence that the blade had been coated with poison: the wound, while painful looking, was relatively clean. Tauriel quickly tied a bandage around the wound to stop the bleeding, meaning to take care of it once she'd dealt with the poisoned wound. She moved to look at Legolas' shoulder. Carefully cutting the fabric of his tunic away from the wound, she found her suspicions confirmed.

The skin around the wound was nearly black, and the veins looked as if they were carrying ink instead of blood. Black blood was still escaping the wound quickly, and Tauriel held a cloth against it while she prepared a poultice of athelas. After she'd readied a clean cloth with the poultice, Tauriel looked at her friend. His head was still resting against the tree, his eyes were still closed, and he hadn't moved since he'd sat down.

"Legolas." she said, hoping that perhaps the elf had slipped unconscious. To her dismay, he opened his eyes almost immediately and moved his head away from the tree as he looked at her. Tauriel sighed, and her voice was colored with sorrow as she spoke.

"Your shoulder has been struck with a poisoned blade." she said. Legolas managed a half smile, half grimace.

"Thought so." he whispered weakly. Only the barest hint of pain remained, and he felt as if he was on the verge of a wonderfully deep sleep. Tauriel's words made little sense: he vaguely remembered fighting the orcs, but if he felt no pain, then perhaps his injuries had healed.

_I just need to sleep,_ he thought, _ that's all. You can't fight a hundred orcs and not get fatigued. Sleep, and then I can have some lembas later. I'll be fine, she needn't worry so much…_

"I'm going to put athelas on the wound." Tauriel continued. "It will seep in and find the poison, and neutralize it." Legolas nodded, his face set in a neutral expression. His eyes were beginning to lose focus, and Tauriel knew she had to act quickly. "It's going to hurt. A lot." she said. Tauriel broke eye contact and placed one hand on his forearm. She saw that Legolas' left hand was clenched around a root; he was still coherent enough to prepare for the pain. Bracing herself, wishing again that there was some other way, she applied the athelas to the wound.

Legolas' cry sent birds flying away from the elves. Pain shot into his shoulder from where the poultice hit it; very quickly it felt as if his shoulder were on fire. The trees went out of focus and any sound was muffled as it roared through his body, deafening and blinding him to any thought but escaping it. He threw his head back and moaned through clenched teeth as he strained to get away. But something was holding him back, and he was too weak to fight it off.

Tauriel was holding him back.

She had one hand pressed against his burning shoulder, and the other clenched around his forearm, keeping him from escaping. How could she? Legolas had trusted her, he'd grown up with her, she was his closest friend. And now _she_ was causing him more pain than he'd ever experienced.

"_Daro!_" he cried, his eyes wide and his voice strained with panic. "_Leithio nin!_"

But the pain continued, and Tauriel did not let go. Tears slid down her face as Legolas cried out again and tried desperately to break free. She tightened her grip, knowing that she must remain strong. Tauriel began to sing, not knowing what else to do.

Through the pain Legolas heard a she elf singing a slow peaceful melody. She sang of sunlight and trees, of starlight and joy. It was _Tauriel's_ voice, to Legolas' surprise. She sang of feeling the sun on one's head, of smelling the pine and oak of Mirkwood. He was reminded of home, and the pain lessened ever so slightly. Again, Legolas' instinct told him to trust Tauriel, despite the pain she was causing. He bowed his head, eyes shut in a grimace, and tried to focus on the song. Tauriel's singing did not falter. Her voice was soft and soothing, despite being occasionally drowned out by Legolas' cries as he again wrenched himself against her grasp. But when he was able to remain still, for however short a time, the song was still there. This gave Legolas courage. He no longer let the pain control him, but fought it, if only to be able to better hear Tauriel's voice.

After a while, Legolas began to relax. He ceased to struggle and Tauriel felt his arm go limp in her hands. His breath came slower, and he rested his head against the tree in exhaustion. Tauriel ended her song and sighed in relief. She let go of his arm and moved to properly treat his thigh. She untied the bandage, mixed up a poultice of willow and thyme, and applied it to the wound. Legolas flinched and opened his eyes for a second, but that was it. Tauriel soaked part of a rag with water and set about cleaning the various cuts and scratches that remained.

"_Hannon lle_, Tauriel." Legolas said, his voice hoarse. Tauriel jumped, and smiled slightly at Legolas.

"What are friends for?" she replied as she gently tilted his head forward to inspect a gash on the back of his head. Legolas, with an effort, bent his left knee and rested his arm on it, staring at the grass with furrowed brow. Tauriel undid the braid on the back of his head and moved his blonde hair away from the wound.

"That ship—" Legolas began, then hissed slightly as Tauriel carefully dabbed the rag against his head, mopping up dried blood. "That ship was full of orcs. At least a hundred." he said, confusion in his voice. He felt her fingers quickly but gently fix the braid she'd undone in his hair, a stark contrast to the pain her hands had brought him minutes ago.

"Aye, I saw." she said. She pulled out another flask of water and _lembas,_ and handed them to Legolas. He drank nearly all the water and ate half of the _lembas._

"Orcs." he repeated as he ate. "On a ship either bought or stolen from the Corsairs." Tauriel eyed her friend warily. Part of her was curious, too, but mostly she was wondering what lasting effects being injured, poisoned and left out in the sun were having on Legolas as he stated the obvious.

"_Why?"_ Legolas asked, looking earnestly at Tauriel. "Why do the orcs need a ship, and why would the Corsairs negotiate with them, if they even did?"

Tauriel frowned. Legolas had a point, but at the moment she was thinking about other things: she had seen no gulls since reaching the bay, which meant another storm was approaching. Legolas had just barely escaped death and now appeared to want to investigate this situation that was puzzling him. He was in no shape to do so; his voice was strained with fatigue and he grimaced ever so slightly in pain when he moved.

"Legolas. There is another storm coming, and it will soon be night. " she began. Legolas moved to get up.

"All the more reason to get going." he said.

"No." Tauriel said, placing a hand on his shoulder and looking into his eyes. "We are sheltered here, you may as well use this chance to heal. We will have to move once night falls and the storm hits; I'm sure the pirates are looking for us, and we can use the dark and the storm to our advantage." Legolas leaned back against the tree, slightly disgruntled.

"All right." he said, leaning his head against the trunk. He stared up at the leaves in thought as Tauriel picked up his broken bow and quiver and moved to sit next to him. They sat in silence for a few minutes as Tauriel mended the strap on the quiver. Legolas shifted ever so slightly, and Tauriel saw that his eyes were closed and his breath came deep and evenly.

"_Quel kaima, mellonamin." _ she whispered, untying the broken string from the bow and keeping watch as Legolas slept next to her.

* * *

**____****Amin khiluva lle a' gurtha ar' tha: I will follow you to death and beyond**

**____****__****Lembas: elvish waybread**

_**Daro: stop**_

_**Leithio nin: release me**_

_**Hannon lle: thank you**_

_********__Quel kaima, mellonamin: sleep well, my friend_  



End file.
